Akdamar Island / Akdamar Adasi (Van Lake - East Turkey)
N 38° 20.447 E 043° 02.144
38S E 328335 N 4245452
Small Akdamar Island (Akdamar Adasi), located close to the southern shoreline of the Van lake in Eastern Turkey, is popular touristic destination thanks to the beautiful medieval Armenian cathedral church and also thanks to pictoresque surroundings.
Waymark Code: WMC6A9
Location: Türkiye
Date Posted: 07/31/2011
Views: 4
Small Akdamar Island (Akdamar Adasi), located close to the southern shoreline of the Van lake in Eastern Turkey, is popular touristic destination thanks to the beautiful medieval Armenian cathedral church and also thanks to pictoresque surroundings.
Akdamar Island (Turkish: Akdamar Adasi) also known as Akhtamar Island, and the island of Aght'amar (Armenian: Aght'amar) is the second by size of four islands in Lake Van in the south of Eastern Anatolia Region, Turkey, about 0.7 km² in size, situated about 3 km from the shoreline. At the western end of the island a hard, grey, limestone cliff rises 80 m above the lake's level (1 912 m above sea level). The island declines to the east to a level site where a spring provides ample water. It is home to a tenth century Armenian Cathedral church, known as the Cathedral Church of the Holy Cross (915-921), and was the seat of an Armenian Catholicos from 1116 to 1895.
The origin and meaning of the island's name is unknown, but is often attributed to an old Armenian legend. According to the tale, an Armenian princess named Tamara lived on the island and was in love with a commoner. This boy would swim from the mainland to the island each night, guided by a light she lit for him. Her father learned of the boy's visits. One night, as she waited for her lover to arrive, he smashed her light, leaving the boy in the middle of the lake without a guide to indicate which direction to swim. His body washed ashore and, as the legend concludes, it appeared as if the words "Akh, Tamar" (Oh, Tamara) were frozen on his lips.
Akdamar (meaning "white vein" in Turkish) is the official name of the island which was determined by Turkish government sometime after the modern republic was established and which is a part of the Turkish government's policy of the "Turkification" of indigenous names (deemed "cultural genocide" by some). The main intention is to hide the Armenian heritage in Anatolia. But the original "Akhtamar" pronunciation is still used by many of the Kurds who live in the area (there is no "kh" sound in Turkish, but there is in Kurdish).
[wiki]